The New York Times (8/3, Bunkley, Subscription Publication) says that while”sales of new vehicles in the United States rose in July,” they “were still hampered by economic concerns” andare struggling. GM posted gains of 7.6 percent, Ford posted gains of 6.1 percent, and Chrysler’s sales rose themost, 20.1 percent. The Times quotes former GM sales analyst Paul Ballew as saying, “The recovery is clearly ina stall mode. It’s hard to see sales sprinting forward without some help on job and income growth. There’s a lotof wind that’s really out of the consumer’s sails right now.”
The Wall Street Journal (8/3, Boudette, Bennett, Subscription Publication) notes that Toyota and Honda saw large declines in sales because of shortages in their inventory. The Journal notes that auto makers sold 0.9% more cars and light trucks this July than they did last year.
The Detroit Free Press (8/3, Thompson) notes that “Japanese automakers continued to lose share to their American rivals as they recovered from the March earthquake and tsunami in their country.” Don Johnson, GM’s vice president of US sales operations is quoted as saying about the debt-ceiling debate in Washington, “Uncertainty in our business is always bad for consumers. Hopefully with that behind us, some of those consumers are going to come back into the market.”
Upcoming NADCA Webinars – Short Run Tooling for Die Castings
In its continuing technology transfer efforts, NADCA is continually holding a series of webinars to provide additional opportunities for individuals to obtain information.
Attending a webinar is an excellent way to obtain vital information without the hassle or cost of travel. These 60 minute presentations will not only address vital information on the topic, but also provide adequate time for questions, answers, and discussion.
Upcoming webinars:
- August 10 – Short Run Tooling for Die Castings – Why Short Run Tooling? [$29.00]
- August 17 – Short Run Tooling for Die Castings – Short Run Tooling Lessons Learned: Case Studies [$29.00]
- August 24 – Energy [$19.99]
- September 7 – How to Size the Die Casting Machine to Your Part – Selecting the Shot End [$29.00]
Click here to view the upcoming schedule of webinars.
Harley-Davidson Sees Resurgence In Domestic Sales
The AP (7/20) reports that Harley-Davidson saw domestic sales rise for the firsttime in five years, which “more than doubled” the company’s second-quarter profit. The higher demand has eaten into”what were already low dealer inventories,” spurring Harley-Davidson to increase production levels slightly. CEO KeithWandell said keeping production in line with demand would be a priority for the company. “But more importantly,” headded, “as we get through our manufacturing transformation, one of the important things to note is that we’ll then havethe flexibility to be able to flex up and down much more quickly as these demand patterns and or seasonal patterns occur.”
NADCA’s 2011 Die Casting Shipment Report Provides Insight on Current and Future Shipping Data
NADCA’s 2011 Die Casting Shipment Report is now available. This report detailsthe shipments, by alloy, of die castings in 2007 through 2010.It also includes a custom versus captive breakdown,and industry sales estimates. The report includes projections for shipments in 2011 and a forecast for 2012.
NADCA conducted its annual shipment survey of die casting operations in the United States and Canada in March, 2011. This survey is the fourth annual comprehensive attempt to gain industry trend data from as many die casting operations as possible.Over 150 aluminum die casters provided their data for 2010.Over 75 zinc die casters sent in their data and ten magnesium die casters provided shipment levels for 2010.The data was reviewed for consistency and calculations were made on the total shipment data for each type of metal (aluminum, zinc and magnesium.The report indicates that in 2010 there was a:
- 40% shipment increase of aluminum die castings
- 34% shipment increase of zinc die castings
- Slight drop in shipments of magnesium die castings
This report assists in providing the most current insight on the North American die casting industry while also enabling companies to forecast future shipments in specific markets and overall.The 2011 Die Casting Shipment Report is now available for the modest price of: $30 for Corporate Members, $45 for Individual Members and $60 for Non Members. Visit: http://www.diecasting.org/publications publication # 880-2 to download your copy today!